Some Polish Crash Victims Buried in Wrong Graves

WARSAW — Poland conceded this week that the bodies of some of the victims of a Polish airplane crash in Russia in 2010 were mixed up in Moscow and put in the wrong graves. Almost two and a half years after the accident, Polish prosecutors said they’re only beginning to verify the identities of those buried.

The 96 victims — including Polish President Lech Kaczynski — were exposed to massive stress when the Russian-made Tu-154 jet crashed into a ravine in thick fog and disintegrated almost completely. Investigators in Moscow said they used DNA testing to be able to identify many bodies, and claimed at the time that all the victims had been identified correctly.

Most of the metal coffins brought from Russia were left unopened before funerals in Poland.

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Inconsistencies found in Russian autopsy documents — such as incorrect heights and internal organ descriptions of the victims — prompted Polish officials to begin exhuming the bodies this year. Exhumations last week revealed that the bodies of two victims had been put in incorrect graves, Poland’s military prosecutors said Tuesday.

The findings add further strains to relations between Poland and Russia. Investigative committees in both countries found the plane crash was a result of the Polish pilots’ error, although the Polish side also put the blame on Russian air traffic controllers, a claim refuted by the Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk acknowledged in February that the relationship between the two historic foes was worse than before the plane crash amid the disputes. The conservative opposition, whose leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is the twin brother of the late president, said Mr. Tusk is personally responsible for what the surviving Mr. Kaczynski sees as snubs Poland suffered from Russia during the investigation. Mr. Kaczynski said the bodies were mixed up in Moscow.

“To my knowledge, the coffins weren’t opened in Poland,” Jaroslaw Kaczynski said on national television late Tuesday. “I’m convinced that all that was done in Russia, and in a scandalous way. Donald Tusk allowed it to happen.”

Russia’s health ministry couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Mr. Tusk on Wednesday briefly appeared in public, but refused to take questions from reporters. His health minister in the first term of his administration, Ewa Kopacz, initially vouched for the accuracy of Russian findings. On Wednesday, she backtracked on some of her earlier remarks, saying she wasn’t present when each of the coffins was being closed in Russia after the identification of the bodies. Mrs. Kopacz is currently the speaker of the Sejm, lower house of parliament, formally the second-highest Polish office.

The plane crash in Smolensk, western Russia, plunged Poland into deep mourning, which united the country initially. It soon became one of the most divisive issues in politics and society. Mr. Kaczynski accuses the government of having contributed to the crash by treating his presidential brother in a hostile way, while the government says the crash was a mere incident which Mr. Kaczynski is using to meet political ends.

Comments (5 of 10)

Polish victims again.
Mr. Obama, were they killed by Polish people? Were they killed by Polish neighbors? Were they killed on Polish territory?Polish road victims again?Polish killed somebody in Russia again and hid them in wrong graves again?

1:51 am September 30, 2012

in other news wrote:

the anti-komorowski blogger is put in jail by poland's internal security services. meanwhile muslims just built a new mosque in warsaw.

1:50 am September 30, 2012

Kopski wrote:

"Ewa Kopacz, initially vouched for the accuracy of Russian findings. On Wednesday, she backtracked on some of her earlier remarks, saying she wasn’t present when each of the coffins was being closed in Russia after the identification of the bodies."

But, wait, didn't she say earlier she was? or was she just opening her mouth to get some of that schlong in there?

1:48 am September 30, 2012

Donnie wrote:

"Mr. Tusk on Wednesday briefly appeared in public, but refused to take questions from reporters."

This is not surprising and he can hardly be blamed. It's hard to talk with that giant Russki schlong in your mouth.

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